It’s surprising how a large number of preppers tend to look down upon the bow and arrow. They think that these are just but old hunting equipment with no place in a world of more powerful weapons – the firearms.

But picture the day you’ll find yourself in a real wilderness (an actual survival setting) with no gun in your hands.

How will find your way out?

In my opinion, a bow and arrow will be your only way out in such a situation. If you’ve got the archery skills with you, you’ll be able to use your bow to hunt down the smaller and bigger game alike.

If you lack these skills, It’s just a matter of learning to use archery equipment, perfecting it, and you’ll soon become good at it.

Without wasting a single second, let me take you through the top secrets of bowhunting for survival that will largely contribute to your success with bow and arrow…

1. Have You Picked The Right Bow?

Similar to firearms, there is a variety of bows out there to pick from.

Getting the right bow for your hunting needs will be influenced by some factors – like bow size, draw length, draw weight, and the type of bow.

If you’re planning to hunt smaller games, such as rabbits and turkeys, then I’d advise you to go for a recurve bow with a draw weight ranging from 30-35 pounds.

However, for the bigger game such as deer, you’ll need a bow with higher draw weight – starting from 40 and over!

2. What About The Arrow Size?

Choosing the right arrow for the job is just as important as picking the best hunting bow.

The two act as a whole and your hunting effectiveness will be affected if you don’t have either.

To get the right size of arrows, you’ll need to make some several measurements, with the help of an assistant and a measuring tape.

Sketch your arms (in front of you) and draw your palms together, such that they face each other. Let your assistant take the length of the distance from the tips of your middle fingers to your chest center.

Add an inch to the result, and you’ll get the right arrow size for you.

It’s that simple!

3. Accuracy is The Most Important archery Ingredient

According to the expert bowhunters, your accuracy does not depend on how expensive, modern, or professional your bow is.

If you’ve got good accuracy, you won’t need a super bow to take down the small and big games.

To improve your accuracy, you’ll need to practice consistently (more details coming later in the post).
You also need to know your limitations…

For instance, if you know you don’t have a good aim, keep off the super-stiff, light bows. Instead, look for the longer, heavier models that are more forgiving to your accuracy issues.

4. Accessories Will Further Your Chances of Success

If the expert archers are using them to better their archery shooting skills, why don’t you?

The market has heard your desperate cry to improve your bowhunting skills; they’ve come to your rescue by offering you an assortment of accessories to help you become better in no time.

Some of the widely used accessories for bowhunting include the bow sights, arrow rest, climbing tree stand, to name but a few.

5. Practice Practice Makes Perfect

There might be millions of accessories designed to contribute to making you better at your archery shooting skills.

But remember at the end of the day, you’ll be the one maneuvering them and your bow.

It, therefore, goes without saying that practicing all the time is part of your archery mastery.

The experts recommend you to practice at dawn or late in the evening. At such periods, there’s less light out there, making it the perfect time to learn your maximum effective range.

Also, keeping in mind that most of the whitetails shots happen around these periods of the day, you should also utilize this knowledge in your hunting zone.

6. ALWAYS Make Your First Shot A Lethal One

This is what bowhunting is; you miss your first shot, you won’t get another one.

Despite the fact that bows run silently, the buck you’re targeting will definitely hear the missing arrow whizzing by the ear as it settles on the closest trees around.

To make your first shot count, do what we’ve just discussed above – practice! Picture different real-life hunting scenarios, set your target, and fire ONLY one shot per situation.

Additionally, practice firing long shots. Shots taken from longer distances forces you to bring your ultimate archery skills to ensure you don’t miss the target. Of course, you’d start with 30 yards shots, but as time goes, try greater distances, say 100 yards.

After losing a few expensive arrows, you’ll learn to make quick calculations of all the variables before you release that string!

After several days, weeks of practice, you’ll eventually get better at it.

7. Think Positive!

Lastly, you’ve got to think positively if you actually want to feel confident and get successfully with your new archery skills.

Acquiring a positive mindset is more important that investing the highest quality gear.

I know you might be thinking that I’m doing a motivational speech, but it’s a reality.

The more a positive mind you have, the more you’ll feel confident when aiming at that game – big or small – and the better your skills will perfect with time. This wills only help you in your bowhunting endeavors, but also in your real life.

All the great bowhunters are always optimistic and don’t get easily discouraged.

Bonus Tip: You ought to get used to hunting in the bad weather. Trust me; there’s fun hunting in a rainy season. Besides, if you learn to see through humidity and keep up with other discomforts, you’ll become a better bowhunter even in the bad weather.

Conclusion

Regardless of your undying love for your guns, bowhunting is an excellent experience that you should take time to learn and try. You’re getting closer to that monster buck and feeling that shock of adrenaline run through your release arm as you draw your bow. That equates to a fantastic feeling that you can’t afford to miss.

Observe the above key bowhunting for survival tips from the expert archers, and you’ll get better at it in no time.

And always remember to start by picking the appropriate equipment – bow and arrow – before you start any training, hunting!

About the Author

Jennifer Walls is the founder of buckwithbow.com, a great blog that focuses on helping you learn how to hunt deer with a bow. As an experienced bow hunter, she will guide you through the Do’s and Don’ts of the bowhunting world and transform you into a better hunter. Whether you are an experienced bow hunter or an absolute beginner, you will find BuckWithBow a gem!